Overall, a largely engaging film; the first half far more than the second, I'd say. The costuming is fantastic, a treat in itself. Orson Welles is great,obviously having a good time playing Count Cagliostro. Apart from Akim Tamiroff and some other principles, however, the casting is uneven: Nancy Guild is unconvincing, and I couldn't help thinking of TV's 'Archer' as I watched Frank Latimore's portrayal of Gilbert.

Quite entertaining, but if it hasn't been for Welles performance I dont know if I would have liked it that much! A fun movie over all. Lots of cool period costumes and weird mesmerizing effects like cut out flying eyes...

Joseph and his non-technicolored dream eyes didn't hypnotize me into giving his film four stars... four stars... four stars...
But Orson Welles might have. He made this character so much more interesting than it would have otherwise been, stuck in all this melodrama. A magnificent performance. I was also impressed with Valentina Cortese, and wish she had had more screen time than Nancy Guild and Frank Latimore.

An entertaining yarn until its final act dissolves into silliness. Orson Welles shines in this story of mind control set in the world of the French court and pending revolution but at the expense of almost everyone else involved. Scripting fails the film here.